Under the topic of "Ginseng, the root of life," the 2011 World Ginseng Expo will be held in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province for a 32-day run from Sept. 2 through Oct. 3.
About 2.3 million people from more than 15 countries, including CEOs, executives and officials from 80 domestic and foreign companies, are expected to visit the global event, a spokesman of the Geumsan World Ginseng Expo Organizing Committee said.
Noting that the 2011 World Ginseng Expo will be the most beneficial health event for the entire global village, where nature, people, health and a better future come together, the spokesman said, "It will serve as a venue for academic activities, trade, exhibitions as well as hands-on interactive experiences."
Geumsan, the venue for the World Ginseng Expo, is the center of ginseng cultivation and distribution from which 80 percent of Korean ginseng is distributed. It is also one of the nation's three largest medicinal markets.
"As the center of ginseng cultivation in Korea, Geumsan is blessed with an ideal natural environment that enables the cultivation of ginseng with maximum efficiency," he said.
"By hosting the 2011 World Ginseng Expo, we can build an industrial cluster to enhance status of Korean-made ginseng in the global market. At the same time, we can create synergy effects through organization of wide networks connecting major areas producing domestic ginseng," said the spokesman.
The 2011 World Ginseng Expo is expected to bring about 901.3 trillion won in production inducement effects, 471 billion won in value added effects, and creation of 21,000 jobs, he stressed.
Basic concept and six exhibition halls
"Under the basic concept of life harmony created by science of nature, we tried hard to embody ginseng fields and the flow of light, water, land and wind creating ginseng. In line with this, we prepared the five exhibition halls to exhibit many programs," said the spokesman.
The six exhibition halls are the life energy hall, the health smile hall, the bio industry exchange hall, the human body exploration hall, the Geumsan skilled doctor hall, and the five senses experience hall.
"The life energy hall on a lot of 1,600 square meters will enable visitors to confirm the possibility of ginseng, which will be energy of the future bio industry. We will present marvelous space of ginseng possessing 1,000-year life force and value of cultural heritage over the new millennium through the exhibition hall," he said.
Visitors to the life energy hall will also see the 2020 future ginseng factory and gain knowledge on red ginseng manufacturing technology and ginseng cultivation technology, as well as ginseng fields in China and the U.S.
"The health smile hall will provide visitors with a chance to find out new value of ginseng through product experiences in various living. To help people easily understand efficiency of ginseng, we have prepared a special corner experiencing ginseng therapy, ginseng artwork gallery, ginseng aesthetics, and ginseng food," he said.
Meanwhile, 65 ginseng-related domestic and foreign companies will operate the bio industry exchange hall built on a lot of 2,000 square meters, the place of trade exchanges between the participating companies and buyers.
"In the hall, they will engage in bilateral consultations on product shows, PR means and other businesses, while exchanging information on the ginseng industry and technology," said the spokesman.
Along with this, the organizing committee will operate the human body exploration hall on a space of 1,200 square meters to help visitors experience the efficiency of ginseng in human body.
"We will introduce a variety of efficacies of ginseng, including the process of ginseng being absorbed in human body and functions of helping digestion and fighting many viruses in the exhibition hall," said the spokesman.
The Geumsan skilled doctor hall will be open on a space of 500 square meters to help domestic and foreign visitors experience traditional Oriental medicine, including medicinal herbs well matching with ginseng, medical examination and acupuncture.
"Noted Oriental medicine doctors will provide visitors with a chance to receive Oriental medicine treatment and offer resting space. Besides, visitors to the doctor hall built on a lot of 500 square meters can experience various Oriental medicine medical equipment using ginseng," he explained.
"Finally, people can visit the five senses experience hall built on a space of 300 square meters. In the ginseng health experience place, visitors can enjoy ginseng foot bath and half bath. They can check blood pressure, blood sugar, body fat and stress in the basic health measurement place.
"In the meantime, they can take Oriental digestive medicine and various Oriental teas in the life health experience place," he noted.
Symposium for globalization of Korean ginseng
As a sideline event of the 2011 World Ginseng Expo, the symposium for globalization of Korean ginseng will be held at Daejeon Convention Center from Sept. 20 to 22 under the topic of "Ginseng, the root of life, the challenge to the new millennium.
"About 500 distinguished domestic and foreign scholars, company executives, and academic researchers are to participate in the international ginseng symposium to prove mysterious effects of ginseng," the spokesman said.
During the Sept. 18-22 period, an international ginseng trade exhibition will be held at the Darakwon Sports Center in Geumsan with attendance of some 80 foreign buyers and 80 representatives of Korean ginseng-related companies.
"They will engage in business consultations for exports of ginseng and have a chance of digging out Korean ginseng and making a visit to good ginseng companies," he said.
Ginseng, a medicinal herb, has long been used in maintaining physical vitality throughout the Far Eastern countries, including Korea and China, the spokesman said.
Carl Anton Meyer, a Russian botanist, named it Panax ginseng in 1843. The genus name Panax means "cure all" in Greek. Ginseng root produced in Korea has been most highly prized in general, he said, adding that its siblings are found in North America, Japan, China and Russia, but they are different from Korean ginseng in morphology and composition.
